Cavaliers overcome big first-half deficit, hang on late to beat Bulls, close first half with 18 wins in their last 20 games

CLEVELAND — It was like pulling teeth. The Cavaliers prevailed 108-105 in a back-and-forth affair over the Chicago Bulls before a national television audience Wednesday at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. But nothing came easy. Donovan Mitchell led the way with 30 points, six rebounds and seven assists for the Cavs (36-17), who finished the unofficial first half winning 18 of their last 20 games. Chicago fell to 26-29. There were seven lead changes and nine ties in the rough-and-tumble fourth quarter. Tensions also flared in the quarter when Cavs forward Georges Niang and Chicago guard Coby White got slapped with technical fouls with about eight minutes to play. Both players pushed each other but no punches were thrown. "He shoved me and I shoved him back," Niang said. "It's nothing that should be overblown. I'm passionate about winning. I'm not going to back down from anybody." Point guard Darius Garland's two free throws with 11 seconds left made the score 106-103 and proved to be the game-winning points. With the crowd chanting "MVP, MVP," Mitchell drained two more foul shots with 4.7 seconds remaining. It wasn't until White's high-arcing 3-point attempt bounced off the rim at the buzzer that the fans were able to celebrate. Cleveland, second in the Eastern Conference, outscored Chicago 37-29 in the fourth quarter, and it needed every point. Garland, rounding into form after missing six weeks with a fractured jaw, finished with 12 points and seven assists. He buried a key 3-pointer with 1:14 left to hand the Cavs a 103-100 lead. They never trailed again. "It's great to have him back," Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. Garland's teammates know his importance to the overall picture. "We all know what D.G. has in him," Cavs swingman Isaac Okoro said. Okoro was outstanding off the bench for Cleveland with 16 points and two assists. He connected on four of eight 3-pointers. "Seeing shots go in gives you confidence," he said. "(My offensive game) has evolved." Okoro was also asked to slow down the dangerous DeMar DeRozan, who had 24 points and six assists. "I take pride in my defense," he said. "That's my primary role." Bickerstaff said Okoro was "awesome." "He works his tail off every single day," he said. Cavs center Jarrett Allen contributed 13 points and 10 rebounds, while forward Evan Mobley added 14 points and nine rebounds. White led all scorers with 32, while former Cavs center Andre Drummond finished with 10 points and a game-high 15 rebounds for the Bulls. Chicago took a 76-71 lead heading into the final quarter. The Cavs closed the first half on a 14-3 run, whittling down a 17-point deficit in the second quarter. They trailed 49-43 at the half. Cleveland grabbed 28 offensive rebounds in the first two wins over Chicago this season. They had just one at halftime. New deal Cavs guard Craig Porter Jr. signed a four-year, $8 million deal Sunday, according to HoopsHype. He's guaranteed $1.5 million for the rest of this year and $1 million next year. Porter has non-guaranteed deals for 2025-26 and 2026-27. The final year is a team option. "Craig is awesome," Bickerstaff said. "It's the fun part of the NBA to be a part of helping people's dreams come true. And this was a dream come true for Craig, and it's something that he went from an undrafted guy to a two-way player (to earning a four-year) contract." The coach said Porter just fights through any obstacle put in front of him. "He's refused to allow those things to deter him," Bickerstaff said. "That speaks to his maturity, his character and his skill set." As a two-way player, Porter was limited to 50 games with the Cavs. That stipulation is now eliminated. Bates honored Rookie forward Emoni Bates will replace injured G League Ignite forward Ron Holland on Team Detlef in the Rising Stars during All-Star weekend in Indianapolis. Bates, a 6-foot-9 rookie, has appeared in 10 games with the Cavs. The 49th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft is averaging 18.4 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists with the Cleveland Charge. Holland will not participate because of a thumb injury. "He's doing a great job," Bickerstaff said of Bates. "He's an extreme talent. He's just a young guy who needs to play basketball and that's why putting him with (Charge coach) Mike (Gerrity) is a big deal for us. We trust Mike G. in his development. We expect big things from Emoni in the future." Time off Bickerstaff said he wants to take his family to the beach during the All-Star break. "It's time to recharge and reconnect with your family," he said. "I won't be in Indianapolis." It might be a bad time for a week-long break with the Cavs playing so well. "We have the formula to be successful," Bickerstaff said. Bob Finnan can be reached at rfinnan30@gmail.com. Follow him @BobCavsinsider on X. Cavaliers 108, Bulls 105 CHICAGO (105): DeRozan 9-16 6-7 24, Vucevic 4-16 0-0 9, Drummond 4-9 2-2 10, Dosunmu 4-10 0-0 12, White 11-17 5-6 32, Craig 3-6 0-0 8, Terry 0-1 0-0 0, Carter 0-2 0-0 0, Caruso 3-6 2-2 10. Totals 38-83 15-17 105. CLEVELAND (108): E.Mobley 6-8 1-2 14, Strus 3-8 0-0 7, Allen 6-9 1-2 13, Garland 4-10 2-2 12, Mitchell 8-21 12-13 30, Niang 5-9 0-2 11, Okoro 6-11 0-0 16, LeVert 2-7 0-0 5. Totals 40-83 16-21 108. Chicago&emsp; 32&emsp;17&emsp;27&emsp;29&emsp;—&emsp;105Cleveland&emsp;25&emsp;18&emsp;28&emsp;37&emsp;—&emsp;1083-Point Goals—Chicago 14-33 (White 5-8, Dosunmu 4-7, Caruso 2-4, Craig 2-5, Vucevic 1-5, DeRozan 0-1, Terry 0-1, Carter 0-2), Cleveland 12-37 (Okoro 4-8, Garland 2-5, Mitchell 2-8, E.Mobley 1-1, LeVert 1-3, Niang 1-5, Strus 1-6, Allen 0-1). Fouled Out—Chicago None, Cleveland 1 (Niang). Rebounds—Chicago 44 (Drummond 15), Cleveland 36 (Allen 10). Assists—Chicago 18 (DeRozan 6), Cleveland 31 (LeVert 9). Total Fouls—Chicago 21, Cleveland 18. A—19,432 (19,432)